Experiential tourism is, in the grand scheme of things, relatively new, although not unheard of. It is already a significant market sector and is continually growing. People are looking for more out of their holidays and experiential tourism offers them that. From experiencing the local culture and cuisine through the eyes of the indigenous, to elaborate, educational adventures, experiential tourism is a vibrant concept that caters to the desires of experienced travelers, and those who are just beginning to explore the world and new countries and cultures. This newish market brings with it significant opportunities for travel agencies and all those involved in the tourism sector, but of course, also challenges. It is an expanding, novel area in the tourist market, but one where there is a lot of competition.
Expanding market now worth over 40 billion euros in Europe
This expanding market in experiential tourism obviously offers many opportunities to travel agencies to develop their business model, and to profit through this new, niche market. This trend seems like it is here to stay, and that it will keep growing, becoming more mainstream every season. Travel agencies that offer experiential tourism to their customers will benefit. And even though this is considered a niche product at the moment, there are so many different types of offers, suited to a diverse range of budgets. Experiential tourism can be about exploring the local wildlife and / or vegetation of a certain region, travelling through history as well as Italy, cooking, dancing, creating. And the massive range of experiential products means that there is something for everyone no matter what their interests are, or their budget.
Global, digital gold rush in experiential tourism
So, as we just mentioned, experiential tourism is a “relatively new” market sector. It began as a new development around the mid 90s, but is now something many travel agencies and businesses are not only taking seriously, but exploiting successfully. There are already a lot of players in this market, and many of the experiential tourism products are highly developed and elaborated. This is a market area which more and more companies are entering, but nevertheless, there is still a lot of room and potential for new entries into the market place. Indeed, as this market continually expands, we foresee the need for all travel agencies to have some kind of involvement in this new form of tourism. Then there is also opportunity within the experiential tourism market for niche ideas and tours. One such experiential tour involves hanging out with Lord Byron in a fancy villa. Why not tour with him to Greece and die of malaria – just like he did? Well, maybe a horse ride without the fatal disease…. The point is the potential is endless, and perhaps at times, also bizarre, but if that’s what interests people….!
Constant changing: a market in continual transformation
The nature of experiential tourism means that it is always changing. There are always new, radically different tours and tour concepts emerging onto the market. As the idea of experiential tourism becomes more widespread, both among tourists but also businesses, the range of options increases almost exponentially. And as the ideas for experiential tours develop and multiply, the market itself becomes more valuable, and therefore, more lucrative, making it something every travel agency and related business should be concerned about and involved with. And because the opportunity out there is so great, so is the competition. This is why developing and maintaining relationships with companies experienced in offering, developing, and selling experiential tours is something travel agencies should do right now. This market is taking off, and the time to get on board is now.
Italy + experiential tourism = Artès
Experiential tourism is an expanding market. Everybody knows how popular Italy is as a tourist destination. If you are a travel agency considering offering experiential tours in Italy, call us. We are Artès. We know all about experiential tourism. Come over to our website and check out the myriad of experiential tours we have that you can offer to your customers, and provide them with a really great experiential tour that they will remember for a long time!